keyword: Sensor

asus-unveiled-its-upcoming-intel-z590-motherboard-lineup

Asus unveiled its upcoming Intel Z590 motherboard lineup

The price range of Asus’ motherboard range starts with Prime Z 590 M-Plus from less than two hundred all the way to ROG Maximus XIII Extreme Glacial 1500 euros

Intel’s CES 2021 virtual trade show gave the first tastings of the upcoming Rocket Lake processors, which are expected to go on sale in March. However, the first motherboards in the 500 series for new processors are due to go on sale as early as February.

Asus’ Z 590 motherboard range is familiarly divided into the ROG Maximus, ROG Strix, TUF and Prime series. In total, Asus introduced at this stage 13 the motherboard.

The company has invested as much as 18 in the Maximux XIII Extreme top models + 2-phase power supply, which is cooled in the basic model with an aluminum heatsink and in the Glacial model with an integrated monoblock. The company has implemented the Glacial model monoblock in cooperation with EKWB. All Maximus XIII models, on the other hand, have in common the new Thunderbolt 4 connectors and Wi-Fi 6E support, which is also found on the Strix series motherboards.

Extreme models also come with a new ROG Fan Controller designed to fit in a 2.5-inch drive bay for easy installation. The ROG Fan Controller is equipped with six 4-pin fan connectors and an assignable RGB connector, as well as two thermal sensor connectors. For audio, Extreme models get the new ROG Clavis, an external Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) using USB Type-C, with four ESS transformers, each dedicated to a specific frequency range.

Finnish prices for motherboards are not yet known, but Asus’ German office has already revealed local recommended prices for motherboards. At its cheapest, the Asus Z 590 motherboard is available in Prime Z 590 M-Plus format, which has a Recommended Price in Germany 189 euros. At the other end of the list, as expected, you will find Extreme models: Maximus XIII Extreme 960 euros and Extreme Glacial 1516 euros. You can find the prices and release schedule of all models in Germany in the table above.

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CES: AirPop Active +: Smart breathing mask with Halo sensor and app

The corona pandemic also determines the CES 2015, and not just organizationally. With AirPop, a company founded in the year 2015 comes on the scene and presents the smart breathing mask Active + at the virtual technology show, which with an intelligent Sensor and its own app.

The heart of the breathing mask is the Halo sensor, which connects to the Android smartphone or iPhone via Bluetooth . It is powered by a button cell that is supposed to last for six months. The sensor collects data on breathing behavior, breathing cycle, pollutants trapped in the filter and more. In Active mode, Halo also detects breaths per minute or per step, which are then collected in the app. The iOS app has an interface to Apple HealthKit.

The filters of the AirPop Active + are clipped into the mask and, according to the manufacturer, should 99 Stop percent of all PM-0.3 particles, including dust, allergens, fine dust and microbial particles. The halo sensor warns when the halo sensor needs to be changed.

The fabric mask is washable and seals with a soft-touch membrane. Due to the 3D shape, the filter does not lie directly on the face, which is supposed to benefit the comfort.

Halo-Sensor

(Image: AirPop )

Sales start in February The AirPop Active + should be available in February in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The price is 150 euros. AirPop offers the Active + in black, white and yellow. The scope of delivery includes four easy-change filters, each with a maximum of hours of use.

In addition to AirPop, gaming specialist Razer also presented a breathing mask at the CES 2021. The N 95 mask with LED lighting and a transparent front is called Project Hazel, but it is still a concept and not closed for the foreseeable future buy.

(sht)

CES: robot vacuum cleaners think for themselves

Samsung presented the JetBot AI + at the CES, which combines two practical features in one device : The suction bot recognizes obstacles with the help of artificial intelligence and empties itself automatically.

In addition to the almost obligatory lidar sensor for room recognition, the JetBot also features a front camera whose images are used to recognize objects using AI. The aim is to spot and avoid smaller obstacles such as cables, shoelaces or the remains of pets. After cleaning, the JetBot returns to its charging station, which is equipped with its own suction fan and a dust bag. It sucks the suction container of the JetBot empty after every cleaning. According to Samsung, the station’s bag should offer enough capacity for around two months of maintenance-free operation in everyday life.

With its camera and AI, the Samsung bot also detects small obstacles that the Laser sensor overlooks.

(Image: Samsung)

Self-emptying and self-finding A charging station that empties the bot is also available with some Roomba models from the manufacturer iRobot – but so far only with the expensive bots. At CES, iRobot is now announcing the European market launch of the Roomba i3 and i3 +. Both models are intended to cover the affordable entry-level range at iRobot. According to iRobot, the i3 costs 90 euros and the i3 + with suction charging station 700 Euro.

What is interesting about the otherwise identical suction bots is that iRobot No cameras or lidar sensors are used for spatial navigation. Instead, both models have an IR sensor on the underside, which optically scans the ground and, together with a gyro sensor and wheel sensors, is supposed to ensure straight-line stability. Together with the IR obstacle sensors in the front, the i3 and i3 + should also find their way around the room and clean all rooms one after the other in parallel lanes. An interesting approach that works without moving – and thus fragile – parts and perhaps causes less concerns about data protection for some customers because of the lack of a camera.

The Roomba i3 + should navigate safely even without a camera and lidar. The base station automatically empties its container after the cleaning trip.

(Image: iRobot)

For technical reasons, the i3 and i3 + cannot be sent to a desired location in the apartment, and you also have to do without the no-go zones that can be defined in the floor plan. Since both bots use the thorough AeroForce brush rollers of the more expensive Roombas, some customers might see this as a fair compromise between features and price.

Wet and dry A suction charging station will also be available at Roborock in the course of the year. In addition, the Chinese manufacturer is introducing a fundamental innovation with the S7 presented at CES. As with iRobot vacuum cleaners, the brush roller is now made of rubber and is also spring-loaded, so that it can better adapt to uneven floors – for example when driving onto carpets at an angle.

When it comes to carpets, there is a new feature with the technology called VibraRise: If the mop is installed for the optional wet cleaning and the floor sensor of the S7 recognizes carpet, the cloth is automatically lifted so that it touches the carpet not touched. So you don’t need to define separate no-go zones for wet cleaning in the app. The mop also rises in the charging station so that wooden floors do not swell due to the moisture if the mop is not removed immediately after cleaning.

The mop on the rear underside now vibrates during cleaning to better protect dirt remove. The S7 automatically lifts the mop on carpets.

(Image: Roborock)

During wet cleaning, a vibration motor on the mopping module with rapid back and forth movement of the mopping cloth should better loosen dried-on dirt. The vibration intensity can be set between 1650 and 3000 Set vibrations per minute. If the highest level is not sufficient, it can also be specified that each area of ​​the apartment is approached twice.

The S7 is to be used in Germany during the second quarter at a price of 550 Euro come onto the market.

(spo)

samsung-galaxy-s21-vs-s21+-vs.-s21-ultra-–-pros-and-cons

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs. S21+ vs. S21 Ultra – Pros and Cons

The Galaxy S21 trio is here and it comes with two important discounts. First, we had to wait less than 12 months for it. And second, they are €50 cheaper than last year’s models (€100 in the case of the Ultra).

But is it even worth upgrading from an S20 to an S21? That’s a topic for another article, here we wanted to focus on how the new S21 models compare against each other. Remember that pre-orders will run until January 29, so you have time to think about which one to get. The lists below offer quick reminders of the Pros and Cons of each of the three.

Clearly, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G is far and away the best-equipped phone. It’s the only one that keeps the screen resolution at 1440p+ and is the first Samsung to reach 120Hz at that resolution. And it has the most advanced adaptive refresh rate of the bunch, going as low as 10Hz, and the brightest too, peaking at 1,500 nits.

The camera is miles ahead as well. This phone can record 4K 60 fps video with any of its cameras. Yes, even the selfie cam. And it has excellent zoom performance: 1x to 3x is handled by the 108 MP sensor, there’s a 3x telephoto lens for mid-range zoom, then from 10x to 100x the periscope lens takes over.

The major criticisms against the S21 Ultra is that it is big and expensive. Charging doesn’t seem that fast, but 50% charge in 30 minutes is not necessarily bad. And we wish there were some brighter color options, but that feels like nitpicking.

Samsung’s first 1440p+ 120Hz display (10-120Hz), 1,500 nits
First S Pen support outside of Note series
108MP main camera with 9-in-1 pixel binning, 12-bit RAW
Two tele cams: 10x periscope and 3x lens, both with OIS
Ultra wide camera with autofocus
40MP selfie camera, 4K at 60 fps filming on all lenses (front and back)
More RAM on base model – 12GB, 16GB option
Optional 512GB storage
Larger 5,000mAh battery
Wi-Fi 6E (6GHz band for less interference, lower latency)
UWB (fast phone-to-phone file sharing, direction finding)
Better pre-order freebies (with Galaxy Buds Pro)

Large and heavy (165.1 75.6 x 8.9mm, 228g)
Most expensive (€1,250/£1,150)
Charging limited to 25W, was 45W on S20 Ultra
Dull color options

The Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G feels like it’s in no-man’s land. It’s not the best of the three and not the cheapest. Compared to the vanilla S21, the advantages are few and mostly related to size. Other than that, it’s almost the same phone.

And we said we’re not going to compare it against the S20+, but the 2020 model is still in the back of our minds. Samsung could have kept the Plus display at 1440p+ resolution and it still wouldn’t have stepped on Ultra’s toes (whose display is brighter and has a more advanced adaptive refresh rate system). Or at least it could have upgraded the cameras compared to the smaller S21.

As it stands, the only two reasons to pick the S21+ over the vanilla S21 are screen size and battery life. As for the S21 Ultra, let’s just say that the €200 price difference is the only thing the Plus has going for it.

Screen almost as large as Ultra’s, 6.7”, and it’s flat
Battery almost as large as Ultra’s, 4,800mAh
UWB (fast phone-to-phone file sharing, direction finding)

1080p+ display, 48-120Hz
12MP main camera, fixed-focus ultrawide camera, 10MP selfie

The Samsung Galaxy S21 5G doesn’t suffer as much as the Plus from its downgrade to 1080p+ resolution due to its smaller display size. Also, the 6.2” panel is great for everyone who thinks that 6.5” phones are too big.

There are a few odd downgrades compared to the Plus and the Ultra. For one, while all three have Gorilla Glass Victus on the front, the S21 is the only one with a “glasstic” back. Also, it loses the Ultra Wide Band feature, which is like “super Bluetooth”. It offers faster data transfer speeds between phones and it can detect the direction of a device with great precision.

As with the Plus, the main advantages of the Galaxy S21 seem to be related to its size. This may end up a repeat of the Note20/Note20 Ultra situation where barely anyone has seen the non-Ultra in real life. But at least the vanilla S21 has “small and cheap” going for it, which the S21+ does not.

Most compact and lightest (151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm, 202g)
Most affordable (€850/£770)

1080p+ display, 48-120 Hz
12MP main camera, fixed-focus ultra wide camera, 10MP selfie
“Glasstic” rear panel
No UWB support

samsung-galaxy-s21-and-s21+-bring-new-design,-modest-upgrades

Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21+ bring new design, modest upgrades

With the Ultra having the clear technological superiority, the Galaxy S21 and S21+ offer to fill smaller pockets and smaller budgets instead. In fact, these two are €50 cheaper than their 2020 predecessors (if you look at the 5G models).

The Contour-Cut camera and dual-tone paint jobs help these two stand out from the crowd. Their flat screens are similarly distinctive in an age where “premium” equates to “curved screen”.

These two phones are nearly twins in terms of hardware, but their size makes them easily to tell apart. And it’s exactly their size and what that entails that make them different. So, we’ll start with what the two models have in common.

Let’s get it out of the way – yes, both the S21 and S21+ have 1080p+ displays, a downgrade from the 1440p+ resolution of the S20 series. The new panels have an adaptive refresh rate, however, which adjusts depending on the content from 48Hz to 120Hz.

Hiding behind the display is an ultrasonic fingerprint reader that 70% larger than last year. No, the camera isn’t under the display, you get a standard punch hole with the same 10MP resolution as before.

Which brings us to the rear cameras. The major upgrades here stem from the new chipsets rather than the units themselves. The chips can handle three streams simultaneously, meaning you see a live preview three cameras at the same time.

The main camera uses a 12MP sensor with large 1.8µm pixels and Dual Pixel AF, same as last year. It sits behind an f/1.8 lens with OIS. Strangely, the 12MP ultrawide-angle (120°) camera has not gained autofocusing abilities as the Ultra did.

The 64MP camera is back to serve double duty. In photo mode, it offers 3X lossless zoom (with autofocus and OIS) and up to 30x “Space Zoom”. In video mode, it can record in 8K resolution at the same 24fps as last year.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has a 6.2” screen, making it one of the more compact flagships around. And while it has Gorilla Glass Victus guarding the screen, the back gets the “glasstic” treatment as if this was an A-series phone.

Also, battery capacity remains at 4,000 mAh, which didn’t last long on the 2020 model. This year, however, Samsung is employing two 5nm chipsets and the Adjustable Refresh Rate display to help reduce power usage.

The two chipsets in question are the Snapdragon 888 and Exynos 2100, of course, once again dividing the world into zones of exclusive availability. There are no 4G-only versions this time around. The good news for Exynos-land is that the two chips are fabbed at the same foundries and use many of the same ARM-designed parts.

The Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G is larger with a 6.7” screen. It’s only a tenth smaller than Ultra’s screen and since its flat, it may even look larger side by side. Also, the Plus gets a back panel that is made of actual glass.

And a battery upgrade to boot – the 4,800 mAh capacity is 300 mAh than last year. In terms of charging, all three S21 models are the same. They can go up to 25W with a suitable USB Power Delivery charger (which you have to supply yourself, there’s little besides a USB-C cable in the box). Wireless charging is rated at 15W going in and 9W going out.

The S21+ has only one other advantage over its vanilla sibling – Ultra Wide Band (UWB) support. This allows for faster local phone-to-phone data transfers and has direction-sensing capabilities used with tracking tags.

Beyond that, the phones are the same. They get the same memory options too, with a disappointing 8GB of RAM as the standard and only option. Not that you need 12GB of RAM, but even the S10 had 8GB.

As for storage, you get 128GB as standard and can opt into 256GB. This will be all the storage you have as besides removing the charger, Samsung also dropped the microSD slot. Again, few people need more than 256GB, but there’s no upside in removing the slot.

Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G color options

Samsung Galaxy S21 5G color options

The Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21+ start at €850/£770 and €1,050/£950, respectively. They will be on pre-order from tomorrow until January 29 when they will go into stores. If you order before then, you will receive a pair of Galaxy Buds Live and a Samsung SmartTag for free.

samsung-galaxy-s21-ultra-announced-with-s-pen-support,-dual-telephoto-lenses

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra announced with S Pen support, dual telephoto lenses

The Galaxy S series has been around for over a decade but this year we’re starting to see some major changes as the company reshuffles its portfolio. The division between the S Ultra and the other S-phones has become quite stark, at the same time the division between the S Ultra and Note Ultra has blurred.

Samsung introduced the Ultra badge a little under a year ago. Back then, the camera was the major difference between it and the Plus model. That is true this year as well, but the display has emerged as another important distinction.

Easily the most impressive of the three new models is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, which marks a number of firsts for the Galaxy line (the S family especially). And as we said, it’s all down to the screen and the camera.

The 6.8” Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel is a tad smaller than last year, but still has curved sides and now Gorilla Glass Victus protection. And it kept its 1440p+ resolution while the other two S21 models dropped to 1080p+.

This is Samsung’s first display able to run at 120Hz refresh rate while rendering at the full 1440p+ resolution. And it’s an Adaptive Refresh Rate (ARR) display, which can drop to 10Hz, when you don’t need the extra refreshes. This will reduce power usage, especially for static screens (think Always On Display). This also the brightest display of any Galaxy so far, with a peak of 1,500 nits.

The other major change is that the S21 Ultra supports the S Pen. Or rather any Wacom stylus. You can get a big, comfy one or a small, easy to pocket one. Which is important as (unlike the Note), there’s no place to stash the stylus – some Samsung cases have a compartment for it, but it’s that or your pocket.

That hurdle aside, the S Pen offers the same true to life experience of taking notes and sketching your ideas, plus handy shortcuts that we’re used to. This version of the stylus doesn’t have a battery, so the Bluetooth functionality you’ve seen on the Notes (remote camera shutter key, motion gestures) is not available.

The first camera upgrade you’ll notice is that there are two telephoto lenses now. The periscope was extended to 10x optical magnification and a traditional 3x lens was added to fill in the mid-range zoom gap. Below that, the high resolution main sensor handles the 1x to 3x range with lossless digital zoom.

The 108MP main sensor has been upgraded too. Samsung calls it a “Bright Night sensor”, which uses its 9-in-1 pixel binning to 12MP, plus improvements in processing for superior low-light shots. You can get even better results from it if you do manual editing as it can output 12-bit RAW photos.

The S21 Ultra is the first Samsung to support 4K 60fps video recording with all cameras. All cameras, including the 40MP selfie camera, the 12MP Ultra Wide module (with Dual Pixel AF), the two tele cameras as well.

Now we get to the smaller (but still important) stuff. This is the first phone to support Wi-Fi 6E – that’s 802.11ax working in the less cluttered 6 GHz band, which means higher bandwidth and lower latency.

The 5,000 mAh battery has the same capacity as last year, but it officially drops the maximum wired charging speed to 25W (that’s fast enough for a 50% charge in 30 minutes). And, controversially, there’s no charger in the box. The good news is that you can use any USB Power Delivery charger you have (PPS is supported), wireless chargers work too.

The Ultra starts at 128GB storage, same as the other two phones, and has a 256GB option. If you really need a lot of storage, the top configuration comes with half a terabyte.

That is tied to 16GB of RAM. If you think both numbers are overkill, the base RAM capacity is 12GB (the other two new S phones get only 8GB with no option for 12GB, which feels downright pedestrian).

Samsung is building two versions of the S21 Ultra – one with the Snapdragon 888 and one with the Exynos 2100. You don’t get a choice, the chipset is decided by where you buy the phone. As usual, North America gets the Snapdragon, Europe and India get the Exynos. In either case the phone runs Android 11 with the latest One UI 3, which has some exclusive features (including the ones related to the S Pen).

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra starts at €1,250/£1,150 for the 12/128 GB model. That’s €100/£50 less than the S20 Ultra last year. Note: there are no 4G-only versions of the S-series this year.

The phone will be in stores from January 29, but it will probably arrive earlier if you pre-order one. If you do, you’ll get a pair of the new noise-canceling Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro and a SmartTag for free.

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Honor V40 5G confirmed to feature 50MP camera

Honor today confirmed the rumors of the V40 5G featuring a 50MP primary camera by posting a video on Weibo, which hypes up the phone’s low-light imaging capabilities.

An official poster confirmed the 50MP camera will be joined by an 8MP ultrawide, 2MP laser focus sensor, and 2MP macro units.


Honor V40 5G will feature a 50MP quad camera

The same poster also revealed that Honor V40 5G will pack a retina-level super-sensing screen (machine translated from Chinese) with 1.07 Billion colors (10bit), which is rumored to have a refresh rate of 90Hz or 120Hz.

Honor hasn’t detailed the specs of the V40 5G yet, but the smartphone is said to come with a Dimensity 1000+ SoC and support 66W wired and 50W wireless charging.

We’ll likely see more teasers from Honor revealing V40 5G’s features in the days leading to the January 18 unveiling.

Source 1, 2 (both in Chinese) | Via 1, 2

Better integration of water cooling: EK Water Blocks shows new concepts

As part of the EK EXPO, water cooling manufacturers presented, among other things, the already known water cooler for the new GeForce RTX – 30 – and Radeon-RX – 6000 – cards, but also concepts for a water-cooled backplate and the MSI MPG CARBON Z 590 EK X with pre-assembled water cooling block.

In addition to the water-cooled backplate, EK Water Blocks is also working on other concepts that should facilitate the use and operation of a water cooling circuit. Among other things, one wants to make the cooling more flexible, which previously usually meant that AiO cooling was used. Depending on the case manufacturer, there are often special models or devices that facilitate the use of water cooling.

Among other things, an external housing has been developed, which under a Lian Li O 11 Dynamic should fit. This housing contains the most important components of the water cooling circuit – pump, expansion tank and radiator (s). The actual coolers are located on the components in the O 09 Dynamic.

Such solutions would of course always be tailored to exactly one housing, because very few housings share the same dimensions. Housings, which are particularly popular with water cooling fans, would of course be a possible target group for such products, even though the housings are suitable for water cooling, precisely because they offer sufficient space or provide special devices for installing a pump. With a kind of external housing, they would no longer need this advantage. For this very reason, EKWB is currently evaluating such a product.

Another concept shows an open housing, which can be mounted on the wall using a VESA bracket. If you need more mounting options for a radiator, you can mount a corresponding bracket. There is still very little information about this project and the possibility of mounting a housing on the wall is not really a novelty – a few open housings or those with a glass cover can already be mounted on the wall, although not using a VESA Bracket.